


Secrets of the Force and Other Birthday Magic

by MelodeeKS99



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Birthday Fluff, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Happy Ending, Rey and Ben are Married, Rey's Birthday, space babies in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-15
Updated: 2018-03-15
Packaged: 2019-03-31 16:49:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13979385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MelodeeKS99/pseuds/MelodeeKS99
Summary: Rey returns from a trip to find out that Ben has created a birthday for her and has planned some special surprises.





	Secrets of the Force and Other Birthday Magic

**Author's Note:**

  * For [OccasionallyCreative](https://archiveofourown.org/users/OccasionallyCreative/gifts).



> This is a birthday treat for OccasionallyCreative - I hope you enjoy this fluffiness and had a great day. (sorry it's a little late)

Rey landed the  _ Falcon _ in the meadow, then strolled happily up the trail to their cottage, pleased to be home.  Avians sang cheerful songs to one another above, and below flowers sprouted from the ivy carpeting the earth between evergreen trees.  

Her pace hastened as she approached. The gurgle of the stream grew louder, a full current surging from the mountain runoff: once snow that covered everything in sight as she hibernated with her husband beside a large stone fire.

Rey expected that soon she would sense his light, that he had heard her approach and would be waiting outside to greet her - or was wrapped up in a book and she could surprise him - but though she was only a few yards away from the clearing where their cottage stood, there was no light, no sense of him at all.

She second guessed, wondering if he had told her he was leaving, and she forgot.  _ No, that’s not it. _ She tried to ignore the next few concerns, those pessimistic fears that would mean terrible things for both of them, and tried to convince herself he had finally left his study to go for a hike, or maybe even to try hunting.

This eased her fear until she stepped into the clearing and saw a black mass of cloth and hair crumpled on the earth.

“BEN!” she screamed.  Rey dropped her staff, either because her hands had another job to do or because she couldn’t hold onto it anymore, she didn't know.  Her face was numb, hands went cold, and she sprinted to his side. She dropped down, hurling head and torso over him to lower her ear to his chest. Relief flooded her body, eradicating the fear that nearly paralyzed her: his heart was beating, but what happened?

Had someone with cruel intentions found him here - someone from the days of their past when he had led the First Ordered and could fairly be accused of many crimes against the galaxy and its people?

“Ben. Ben! Wake up!” Rey urged, placing her hands on his shoulders and shaking him roughly. “Ben… please,” she pleaded, tears forming in her eyes.  She raised a hand to his face and the touch of her skin acted more strongly than physically shaking him. Their minds and bodies connected in a way that woke him, pulling him back to consciousness, and his dark lashes fluttered before he slowly opened his eyes and stared up at her, bewildered.

“Oh, thank goodness you’re alright,” she said, brushing a dark strand of hair away from his right eye and smiling.

“What’s going on,” he asked, rubbing his eyes.

“You’re going to have to tell me. I just returned home and found you laying here.”

Ben didn’t know where “here” was.  Rey moved out of his way as he pulled himself up and looked around.  He scanned the clearing, then realization hit. “Oh, I was… practicing with the Force and must have overexerted myself,” he explained.  

Rey stood and reached her hand out to help him up.  “Let’s go inside and you can tell me why,” she said.  “Honestly, if this happens again, I’m going to start sending friends or your mother to periodically check on you when I go.” she murmured.

Ben took her hand and held it gently once he was back on his feet. “Not… yet.”  I have something to show you.”

“Is that so?” Rey asked, raising her eyebrows and smiling, amused by the sly look on his face.

He led her behind the cottage, past the small garden just outside their bedroom door, and stopped several yards away where a large wall of ivy stood, blocking their way.

“What is this?” Rey frowned and looked back and forth at the length of the wall.  “Was this… here… before?” She asked slowly, wondering if she had not walked in this direction before.  They were right beside the river and she turned back to see the cottage still in sight.  _ I’ve definitely been here before, but  _ **_this_ ** _ was not! _

“Ben…?” she whispered, turning to face him. 

He still had the faint smile on his lips and stood so close, they were practically touching.  

“Happy birthday,” he said quietly, raising his large hands to cradle her face and kissing her softly on the lips. 

Rey softened, accepting the kiss. She had been gone so long and missed the way he felt and his scent. He was using the shampoo she had made with the citrus and lilacs in their garden and his hair was heavenly.  Mixed with the soap his mother had sent from Naboo, she had to stop herself from burying her face against him and sniffing emphatically.

_ But there are other matters to attend to. _ “Ben,” she began, a hint of humor in her voice, “I don’t even know my birthday.  What are you on about?”

“Well, I decided we would celebrate it today,” he said earnestly, daring her to oppose him.

“Okay… so, why today? Did you just decide it would be the day I returned?”

“No,” he frowned, slightly offended.

Rey considered the day, but nothing came to mind. Did he somehow learn where her parents had come from and find records on her birth? 

The thought pained her and Rey wondered if she would ever recover from the effects of the emotional scars left by her parents. She knew she was innocent in this matter.  It was their choice to abandon her, their depravity that lead to her years of pain and confusion, so why should she suffer?

Rey shook her head, stubbornly fighting against the pain. This was a happy day, she had more in life than she ever dreamed possible, plus a man she loved, and family who loved her.   _ Don’t let them ruin it _ . She reminded herself, then looked up at Ben.

“So.” She sniffed and tried to smile as she looked up into his dark, worried eyes. “How are you feeling?” she asked, reaching up and combing her fingers carefully through his raven hair.  

“I’m fine,” he responded.  He raised his eyebrows, humored by her concern for him when she was the one who was feeling distressed.  He could sense it, and knew her well enough to know this particular anxiety came over her when she was thinking about her parents. 

Ben often wondered what he could do to help her, and knew he couldn’t change the past, so he would simply have to make her future as filled with happiness as possible.  That often meant simply letting her leave or traveling with her to distance systems, scavenging for lost treasure or exploring unique worlds.

“I chose this day because… this was the day, ten years ago, when you saved my life.  This isn’t the day of your birth, and it may not be the anniversary of the day I first realized I loved you, but it is the day I knew our futures were intertwined and hoped you would let me love you for as long as we both lived.”

Tears gathered in Rey’s eyes and she didn’t move or respond: only gazed back at him.  When the weight of the tears grew too heavy and fell from her eyes, sliding down her cheeks, he frowned and wiped them gently. 

“Is that okay? We can change it if you… It can be any day you want? It can be as many days as you want. I just want you to be happy.”

“No.” She sniffed and wiped her wrapped arms across her face to clear away the tears. “No. This is perfect.”

“Are you sure?” he smiled, his lips never parting.

Rey nodded and lifted herself on the balls of her feet, grabbing his face to kiss him, deep and firmly.  Their lips parted and they lost themselves for several minutes, bodies and lips combined, until Ben pulled away to catch his breath.

With their foreheads pressed together Rey smiled widely and said, “You need to get outside more, leave your books behind, and get some exercise or you won’t be able to keep up with me later tonight.”

“I’ll be fine.  And who says we have to wait for tonight?”

Rey leaned back and raised her eyebrows suggestively.

“Just wait, because I have a birthday present for you and it currently has nothing to do with any part of my body.”

Rey frowned, feigning disappointment and she smiled. “Don’t worry.  You know I can’t deny you. You’ll get everything you want from me, but first, let me show you what I created for you while you were gone.”

Grateful, Rey smiled and nodded and Ben took her hand once more, using one finger to twist the promise ring on her finger nervously.  “Have you ever heard of “the Dark Woman?”

Rey shook her head.

“Well, she was once part of the Jedi Order.  I discovered her story when I was reading about… Darth Vader,” he had paused for a moment, wondering if this would frighten or anger his wife, but she understood his devotion to knowledge and history and he was able to continue without interruption. “I read that she had used the Force to manipulate plants and even used that power during her duel with my grandfather, though he was able to… well, that doesn’t matter right now.  It made me curious about that power to control plants. It’s called “plant surge,” Ben said, gesturing to the wall of vines before them, “or Consitor Sato. By channeling energy through the Force into the plants, one could make it grow more quickly and even manipulate how it grows.”

“That’s… fascinating,” Rey said sincerely, wondering what any of this had to do with her new birthday and when she would get to unwrap the gift that was her husband’s body.  She eyed the way his muscles shaped the thin fabric of his shirt near his chest and arms and had to concentrate so she wasn’t too distracted from his story.

“It is,” he said happily. 

“So, you… made this… ivy wall for me, using this plant surge… energy… power?” Rey asked, hoping she sounded impressed.

Ben smiled, his eyes twinkling. “Here,” he said, lifting her hand to the ivy. “Concentrate here. Feel the energy inside of you and inside the vines and try to manipulate that energy to part the vines.”

Rey relaxed her hand, keeping her arm lifted, and first felt the thick leaves against her palm. She closed her eyes and reached out, sensing the energy as Ben had advised and when she felt connected to the plant, she focused on creating a space before them. The vines made cracking sounds as they split apart and Rey smiled and continued to move them until she felt there was a space wide enough for she and Ben to walk through.  

When she opened her eyes and looked at Ben, he was gazing down at her, in awe and in love. “You… are incredible,” he said, surprised she had done so well her first attempt.

Rey was about to take him into her embrace once more, but he turned to the newly formed passage through the vines, put one hand on her back, and led her through.

Rey stopped on the other side, eyes wide and jaw dropped as she scanned the hidden garden beyond the vines.  A massive tree with long, sinuous tendrils stood at the center on a small mound with a large swing hanging from a horizontal branch. Beyond the wide ring of shade the tree produced were flowers of every size and color, blooming in beds, large clay pots, or wildly in spaces alongside a flagstone path that traveled through every section of the garden, tiny clovers lining each stone.  The wall rose up on three sides, keeping the garden secret from the rest of the woods, and the river ran right beside the fourth edge, where Ben had placed a long bench where they could sit together.

“You did all this?” Rey asked breathlessly, beginning to walk slowly along the path and taking in every detail. She noticed a few stepping stones he made himself and covered her mouth as she began to cry.

Ben nodded and put his arms around her shoulders as she buried her face in his chest. “I pulled seeds from every part of this world to give you every flower it has to offer. You deserve that, my love, and so much more.”

Rey tried to gather herself, controlling her emotions enough to keep from sobbing, though the tears still rolled down her cheeks. “Thank you, Ben. I’ve never… It’s… I don’t even know what to say, except… I love you.”

“I know,” he said with a smile. “And clearly…”

“I know,” she laughed and turned back toward the stones.  He stepped close behind her, embracing her once more and Rey reached up to hold his arms there for a moment, scanning the garden and watching the river pass.

Finally Rey pulled his arms away and crouched to look more closely at the homemade stepping stones. There were two, each with petite handprints left before the mixture dried, and a different name carved into the bottom. Rey place one hand on each of the prints pressed into the stone and smiled.  

“We made those the day after you left… before their grandma came to take them back to Naboo.”

“It was nice of your mother to pick them up, to save you the trip. I miss them,” she said, eager to reunite with her children after weeks away.

“Me too,” Ben said sincerely, though now his mind was drifting to deeds he and his wife could enjoy while they had this time alone. 

When Rey stood, he pulled her close and lifted his hand to touch a narrow strand of hair curling from her temple and falling to her jaw. “Before we invite those little bandits back into our home,” he looked away from the hair grazing his fingertips, directly into her eyes, “maybe it’s time we enjoy your second gift.”

“Oh! The swing?!” Rey said with alacrity, turning away from him and pretending to run. He grabbed her hand more tightly, whirled her around to face him, and bent to slide his arm behind her legs, lifting her easily and carrying her toward the grassy hill beneath the tree.  

“Happy birthday, Rey,” he said, carrying her along the path. 

Rey smiled blissfully in Ben’s arms, ready to lose herself to him now and forever.


End file.
